Save your scraps if you're worried about birds struggling to survive

2023-01-29

RSPB reveals five recipes you can create with your leftovers to serve up for birds struggling to survive in the winter weather

Don’t throw away your scraps if you’re worried about birds struggling to survive
Instead you can use leftovers for recipes for birds concocted by RSPB experts
READ: Beat the squeeze: We waste millions of tons of bread, meat and fruit, but follow these recipes from top chefs and look what you can create out of all that food you throw in the bin

Don’t throw away your scraps if you’re worried about birds struggling to survive in the winter weather.

Instead you can use those leftovers for inventive recipes concocted by RSPB experts to serve up for visitors to your garden.

‘Robin Raisin Ice Cream’ and ‘Seedy Sushi’ are among the dishes being launched for this weekend’s Big Garden Birdwatch.

Over the cold months, as natural food supplies run low, birds and other wildlife turn to kindly humans and green spaces in search of sustenance.

‘Robin Raisin Ice Cream’ and ‘Seedy Sushi’ are among the dishes being launched for this weekend’s Big Garden Birdwatch

The UK has lost 38 million birds in the last 50 years – a decline of almost 23 per cent. Some 70 species (one in 4 birds) are on an endangered red list.

The miniature meals have been launched in partnership with supermarket Ocado and can also help reduce the amount of food households throw away.

They include a Blackbird Berry Cheesecake, a Wagtail’s Winter Stew, and a Fruit Finch Tart – all crafted to appeal to different species of birds.

The ingredients are also rich in nutrients to provide energy to birds to help them through the sub-zero temperatures.

Rachel Cox-Reynolds, Director of Sustainability at Ocado Retail said: ‘Sometimes people might be stuck with what to do with food scraps they’re not going to use up, but this doesn’t mean they should be thrown away.

‘So many food items such as bruised fruits, extra roast vegetables and grated cheese are perfect to pass on to our feathered friends, and by working with RSPB, we’re encouraging the nation to get creative with food waste this year, just in time for Big Garden Birdwatch.’

Last year, nearly 700,000 people across the UK took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, counting 11 million birds.

People are encouraged to spend one hour over the course of the weekend counting those they see in their garden, on their balcony or in the local park.

BLACKBIRD-BERRY CHEESECAKE

This delectable dessert uses up a variety of sweet and savoury household scraps. Mild grated cheese and dried fruit are a particular favourite amongst blackbirds, song thrushes and robins

Total time – 10 mins

This delectable dessert uses up a variety of sweet and savoury household scraps. Mild grated cheese and dried fruit are a particular favourite amongst blackbirds, song thrushes and robins.

Ingredients – 4 tbsp stale biscuit or cake crumbs, 1 tbsp lard, 1 tbsp mild cheese, grated, 1 tsp of chopped dried fruit such as raisins, currants, 1 tbsp of diced apple, 1 tbsp bird seeds or mixed seeds or sunflower seeds.

Method – Place the crumbs into a bowl and melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat. Pour the melted lard over the crumbs and combine. Push a square of baking parchment into a cookie cutter and press in the crumb mixture firmly with a spoon.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once firm, remove from the fridge and place the crumb base onto a small plate, sprinkling over the cheese, followed by the fruit and seed toppings.

WAGTAILS’ WINTER STEW

A hearty winter-warming dish, this stew is just the trick for those scraps of veg that might otherwise be thrown away

Total time – 10 mins

A hearty winter-warming dish, this stew is just the trick for those scraps of veg that might otherwise be thrown away. The addition of nutritious mealworms are just the trick to entice the likes of blue tits, pied wagtails and robins.

Ingredients – 2 tbsp lard, 1 tbsp cornmeal, 1 tbsp dried fruit, finely chopped, 1 tbsp bird seed or mixed seeds or sunflower,4 tbsp cooked scraps of chopped veg, 4 tbsp mealworms.

Method – Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat. Place the cornmeal, dried fruit and seeds into a bowl and add the melted lard. Mix well and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once firm, remove from the fridge and divide and roll the mix into 4 small balls approximately the size of a walnut. Layer a small dish with cooked veg and mealworms and top with the ‘dumpling’ balls.

SEEDY SUSHI

Offer your feathered friends the trendiest al fresco dining experience by combining salt-free rice with scraps of green veg and carrot for a nutritious sushi snack. Use nyjer seeds if you’re on a mission to entice finches and woodpeckers to your garden

Total time – 15 mins

Ingredients – 4 tbsp salt-free cooked rice, 1 tbsp lard, ½ carrot, cooked and sliced 2 tbsp scraps of green veg, cooked and sliced, 4 tbsp bird seed or mixed seeds.

Method – Place the rice into a bowl. Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat until just melted and mix into the rice. Lay a piece of greaseproof paper on a board and press the rice mix firmly onto it in a rectangle.

Lay the carrot and cabbage strips along the long edge of the rice rectangle, about 2cm from the edge.

Holding on to the greaseproof paper, roll up the rice into a long cylindrical shape and press tightly to make sure it’s firm. Twist both ends of the greaseproof paper like a cracker to encase the sushi roll tightly.

Place into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.

After 30 minutes, scatter the seeds onto a plate then remove the rice cylinder from the paper and roll in the seeds to coat.

Cut the cylinder into four equal pieces to serve.

FRUITY FINCH TART

Total time – 10 mins

With potatoes one of the most commonly wasted household foods, it’s time to put any scraps to good use. This fruit and veg-laden mini tart also contains small seeds to attract the likes of house sparrows, dunnocks, finches and collared doves.

Ingredients – 20g ball of uncooked scrap pastry or cooked pastry shell, ½ roast potato, chopped or 1 tbsp mashed potato, ½ tbsp cranberry, finely chopped or other dried fruit such as raisins, currants, 1 tbsp carrot or veg, cooked and chopped, 1 tbsp diced apple, 1 chopped grape, 1 tbsp small seeds.

Method – Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Roll out the pastry and press into a small pie tin or lie flat on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Allow to cool, and when cold, top with potato, chopped fruit and veg

Sprinkle over the seeds for the finishing touch.

ROBIN RAISIN ICE CREAM

Total time – 10 mins

This tutti fruity nutty sundae is a great way to use up fruit that’s past its best and nuts, with bruised apples in particular being much better for your bird table than your bin

This tutti fruity nutty sundae is a great way to use up fruit that’s past its best and nuts, with bruised apples in particular being much better for your bird table than your bin.

Ingredients – 2 tbsp lard, 1 tbsp dried fruit, ¼ apple, partly grated and partly chopped 1 chopped grape, 1 chopped satsuma segment, 1 tsp shelled nuts (must not be salted or roasted), crushed.

Method – Melt the lard in a small pan over a low heat. Place the dried fruit and grated apple in a bowl. Mix in the lard. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

Once firm, remove from the fridge and roll into 3 equal balls, sprinkling with the fresh fruit and nuts.

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